The invention pertains to an intravascular catheter comprising reinforcing means. Catheters comprising reinforcing means are known. Catheters are used in medical diagnostic procedures by inserting them into a patient's body. In order to be able to insert a catheter the catheter must be flexible enough to bend in conformance with the passageways, but also rigid enough to provide torque transmission and adequate support structure for minimizing kinking.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,425,919 a torque transmitting catheter apparatus including a longitudinally pre-oriented thin-walled tubular substrate surrounded by a thin-walled reinforcing means comprising a flat metal wire braid wound over the substrate has been described. Metal wires provide a good support to substrates of the catheter, but due to the metal such catheters cannot be used for fluoroscopic investigation and MRI scanning the patient.
In EP 0517075 an intravascular catheter such as a guiding catheter of composite construction has been disclosed having an inner tubular member of braided polymeric fibrous strands impregnated with a thermoset polyurethane and having an outer jacket or coating of thermoplastic polyurethane secured to the braided tubular member. This catheter does not contain any metal reinforcing material and therefore is suitable for fluoroscopic investigation and MRI scanning. However, it was found that the reinforcing polymeric fibrous strands do not give sufficient stiffness to the catheter to fully prevent kinking of the catheter when inserted into an artery of a patient.